


Insecurities

by Lexi_the_dragon_muse



Series: Avoiding the obvious [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Angst, Gen, Pre-Relationship, but only a little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 09:59:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1600739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexi_the_dragon_muse/pseuds/Lexi_the_dragon_muse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the kidnapping, hidden feelings are beginning to come to light.  How will this affect both Darcy and Phil?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Insecurities

**Author's Note:**

> First off, thank you to everyone who reviewed and gave Kudos on the first story!!! The email alerts made my day!!!
> 
> Sorry this took so long! My muse has been playing only on and off on this story, but I already have ideas for the next one, so hopefully that one will flow a little more quickly than this one did. This is still pre-relationship for now, although my muse is chomping a the bit to get them together, so that may happen quicker than I had planned.
> 
> I still have no beta, so if you see any mistakes please let me know!

**Insecurities**

After the kidnapping, Darcy began to notice things around her.  All of the Avengers and even Agent Coulson seemed to drop by the lab more often, usually with barely believable excuses to why they were there.  Whenever she left the tower she could feel eyes on her.  At first, it made her feel safe.  After a month, most of the well-meaning, stop dropping by as frequently, but there were still a few that kept at it.  Namely Clint and Steve.  But three months later?  She was just annoyed.  So finally, when Clint had dropped in for a third time on a Friday, she snapped.

“Enough!” she yelled, poking Clint in the chest.  “I’m done with this.  Stop following me around.”

“I’m not…” he tried to retort.

“Bull.  Shit.  Do you really think that I wouldn’t see through the stupid reasons that you give for being here?  Jesus, Mary and Joseph!  You are a freaking Avenger and you couldn’t come up with a better excuse than you were going to the store and wanted to check to make sure that we have Pop Tarts?  Come on.”

Clint flinched.

Darcy just raised an eyebrow before continuing, “Jarvis, how is the supply of Pop Tarts looking?”

“There are currently twelve boxes in the pantry and once there are only four left, I will ensure that they are on the grocery list, Ms. Lewis.”

“See?  J-man keeps track of the Pop Tarts.  Thanks, Jay.  You’re awesome sauce.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Uh…”

“No.  There are no uh’s here.  Stop checking up on me.  It’s been three flippin’ months.  I’m done.  I understand the shadow when I’m outside the tower, but not here.  It is not necessary to follow me into the lab.  If anything or anyone gets in here to try to hurt me, Jarvis will have my back.  Right Jarvis?”

“Of course, Ms. Lewis.  That is one of my primary functions.  I ensure the safety of everyone inside the tower.”

Clint sighed and raised his hands in defeat.  “Fine.  I’ll spread the word.  But, Darce?  Having you kidnapped was not a fun thing and we never want it to happen again.”

Darcy sighed.  “I understand, really I do.  I never want to be kidnapped again either, but you can’t keep following me around, Clint.  It’s getting on my nerves.  Now, get the hell out of the lab and let me and boss-lady work.”  Clint just nodded as he turned to leave.  “Oh, and you’d better pass the message on for me.”

When Darcy turned around she found Jane looking at her, bemusement twinkling in her eyes.  “What?”

“I thought you’d break sooner,” Jane said simply.  “There was a pool on it and everything.  I kept telling them to stop hanging around so much because all they were going to do was piss you off, but none of them listened.  Well, except Agent Coulson.”

Darcy huffed.  “There was a pool?  How much money and who won?”

Jane shrugged.  “I have no idea.  I had it for a month ago.  Jarvis?  What was the final total and who was the winner of the pool?”

“The final monetary amount was $2312 and the winner of the pool was Agent Coulson.”

Jane laughed.  “Is there anything that man can’t do?  He’s won every single pool that we’ve had since we moved in.  Jarvis, let Agent Coulson know that he has won.”

“Already done, Dr. Foster,” the A.I. replied. 

“Thank you, Jarvis.  Darcy, can you review the numbers from the spreadsheet I put on your desk last night?  I’m trying to pinpoint on how to choose our destination once we get our own Bifrost machine up and running, but the data is not making sense to me.  Maybe you’ll see an outlier that I missed.”

“Sure thing, boss-lady,” Darcy agreed as she walked back to her desk and pulled out the spreadsheet in question.  Putting both of her ear buds in, she choose her Punk Rock 101 playlist (featuring bands like _The Ramones, The Smiths_ and _The Clash)_ and focused on the numbers.

A few hours passed before she finally found the number she was looking for.  “Yo!  Boss-lady.  Is this really supposed to be five-thousand twenty-two here when the rest of the numbers are double digits?”

Jane’s head went up as she walked over and peered down at the section Darcy was pointing to.  “Well, shit.  I missed the decimal point here.  Give it to me and let me rerun the formula.” 

Darcy just handed the spreadsheet over and watched as Jane once again descended into science.  She could tell by the look on the petite woman’s face that she would not be stopping soon, so she settled back into her chair and pulled out her phone to play _Angry Birds._   She still had to get back to where she had the top scores amongst her friends after her phone had been tragically lost in the explosion during her rescue.  Occasionally, she glanced up at Jane, who was deeply immersed into science-land, just to check to see if she needed coffee or a tranquilizer (in those cases where her craziness got up to an unhealthy notch).  Overall, Jane seemed to be calmer, as if the science in her head was making all of the sense in the world, so she left her alone. 

_Angry Birds_ got frustrating after a while, plus it was a big drain to her phone battery, so she plugged it in to her charger and glanced at the clock.  She noticed it had been close to four hours since Jane had delved into the equation.  “Jane?  You hungry?” she called out.  She got a grunt in response.  Shrugging, she decided to head down to the employee cafeteria and get some food for both of them.  “I’m going to get food.  Be back in a little bit.”  Jane just waved her hand.  Shaking her head, she left the lab and towards the elevator.  “Hey, Jarvis.  What does the café have on tap for dinner today?”

“Today’s options are a filet mignon, grilled halibut and chicken piccata, along with the normal buffet fare that is normally available,” Jarvis replied helpfully.

“Lord, I love working here,” Darcy said.  She had never heard of an employer offering this type of meal, but then again, Pepper and Tony seemed to know that a happy workforce was a productive workforce.  This was the reason that S.I. was always at the top of every single “best company to work for” list.  She struggled with what she wanted to eat until she got down to the café and the smells of the chicken piccata filled the air.  Her stomach decided for her.  She went through the line and ordered the chicken piccata, linguine with an Alfredo sauce and a salad for two.  The tiramisu looked amazing, so she got that for dessert.  The workers were used to her double orders and promised to keep Jane’s warm for her to pick up when she left.  After picking up her food, she walked across the semi-crowded room to find an empty table tucked into the corner.  She ate quickly, but not quickly enough not to enjoy the flavors of the meal.  Occasionally she looked around to see if anyone she knew was there, but after remembering the time, she realized all of the other lab assistants that she usually ate with would be home or almost home by this time.

She was halfway through her meal when she heard a throat clearing and looked up to find a man in a dark grey suit looking at her.  “Why is someone who looks like you eating alone?” he asked, his eyes focused on her chest.

“Dude.  Eyes up here,” she said waving her hand in front of her face.  “I’m eating alone because I don’t want to deal with douchebags like you.”

“Ah, come on baby.  You don’t even know me.”

Darcy’s eyebrow rose.  “I don’t need to know you.  Walks like a douche, talks like a douche, you are a douche.  Now go away and leave me alone.”  The man didn’t take the hint, instead, he settled his tray down on the table and plopped down across from her.  She rolled her eyes.

“Look,” he began, “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

“Ya think?” she muttered under her breath.

“I’m Jason.  I work in accounting.  What’s your name?”

“Not interested.”

He smiled, undeterred.  “Interesting name.  Were your parents hippies?”

“Look, _Jason_ , I’m only going to say this once.  I am not interested in you and if you continue to bug me, you’re going to find yourself twitching on the floor wondering if you still have the ability to have children.  _Capice?_ ”  She heard a chuckle behind her as Jason’s eye’s widened.

“You will find, Agent Williams, she doesn’t say anything she doesn’t mean.  I would suggest you tread lightly,” Coulson said blandly.

“Hey, Son of Coul.  Did you need me?”

“Not at all, Miss Lewis.”

Jason seemed to blanch at the easy camaraderie between the two of him and quickly rose to his feet before fleeing the room.

“Gee.  Is it something I said,” Darcy said with a smile while gesturing to the now empty chair.  “Cop a squat Coulson.”

“I am sorry for Agent Williams’ behavior.”

She shrugged.  “No big.  I’ve been dealing with guys like that since puberty beat me over the head.  But, he did tell me he worked in accounting.”

Coulson throttled down his anger at anyone treating her with less respect than she deserved and mentally made a note to assign Agent Williams to a training seminar with Natasha.  He deserved whatever she thought would be proper punishment.  “That still doesn’t make it right,” he finally responded calmly, clinging to his mask.  “I actually came to thank you for winning me the pool.”

Darcy laughed.  “Jay told me.  So, do I get half of those earnings?”

“I will look into that,” he said with a small smile, thinking of what Natasha had told him about the boots she had liked.

Darcy smiled softly, thinking how rare it was to see the normally stoic man smile.  A tendril of emotion curled within her at the thought that she had been responsible for it.  _Stop it.  He’s so far out of your league that he may as well be in Asgard.  Calm the fuck down, Lewis,_ she told herself toughly.  “With that bit of information, I think I’m going to grab Jane’s food and retreat to the lab to bully her into eating a normal dinner.”

Disappointment shot through Coulson.  He enjoyed spending time with Darcy, but in order to keep his own feelings under wraps, he limited himself.  _Come on, Phil.  Why would someone who looks like a throwback to a Vargas girl take a second look at you?  Add to that the fact that you are a good twenty years older than her, what do you expect?_   His mental soliloquy took mere seconds.  He nodded to her.  “I do have reports that I should get back to.”  _Plus a note to put in Agent Williams’ file._ “Have a good evening, Miss Lewis.”

“You, too, Coulson,” Darcy responded before gathering her uneaten tiramisu to take back to the lab with her.

#

Over the next couple of days, Darcy found herself with down time from the lab.  Jane was still in full on scientific mode, but she wasn’t to the crazy levels of insane that the astrophysicist was capable of.  Meaning, she was remembering to eat and keep to a somewhat normal schedule, including regular breaks for hygiene.  To pass the time (after she had finally gotten past the hell level of _Angry Birds_ ), Darcy had taken to doodling.  Really, anything she could do not to focus on her lack of a personal life. 

By the end of the third straight day of twiddling her thumbs, Darcy could not keep from thinking about her lack of a personal life.  Really, things were not looking in her favor for ending her dry streak any time soon.  She worked for a secret spy organization.  Her recent experience with Ian did nothing to break her natural wariness when it came to romantic relationships.  Those feelings came from being the first girl in her grade to need a training bra.  When she thought about it, most of her experiences with men were horrible.  The only exception she could think of was her middle school boyfriend, the only one of her exes that she was still in contact with.  Will had always treated her with respect, never ogling at the girls.  They “dated” during her eighth grade year and Darcy had high hopes for staring off her high school life with a steady boyfriend.  It was not to be.  After summer vacation, Will had admitted to her that he thought he was gay, but didn’t want to come out to his family.  So, she had played at the part of his girlfriend until senior year when he finally felt comfortable in his skin.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the beep of her phone.   She glanced down at it and smiled before hitting the call button.  “Well hello stranger.  I was just thinking about you,” she said when the call connected.

_“Hey gorgeous.  How’s city life treatin’ you?”_ Will greeted her back.

“Oh, you know.  Bright lights, big city.  What about you?  Haven’t heard from you in a while.  You get yourself a handsome boy to bring home to the ‘rents?”

Will laughed, his baritone voice rich over the line.  _“Don’t you know it, Darce!  Actually, I just wanted to see what my bestest friend in the whole world had planned for tonight.”_

Darcy’s smile grew even wider.  “You’re in the city!” she squealed.  Jane sent her a dirty look and Darcy cringed before getting up and walking outside of the lab.

_“Yup.  Actually, I moved to the city last weekend, but I’ve been the past week trying to figure out how to make the most of the shoebox that I call my apartment.”_

“Wait. You moved to the city?  What about the whole, I’m going to make it as an actor in L.A., thing?” she asked, the shock evident in her voice.  Will had always wanted to be an actor.  He was head of the drama club all four years of high school and she always thought that he had a huge shot at actually making it.

_“I made my mark,”_ he said enigmatically. 

“Explain.”

_“So, I was in this play at a small theater and an agent saw me.  Got me a job out here for a Broadway play.”_

“Oh. Em. Gee.  That is awesome, Will.  You deserve it.”  Darcy looked up to see Bruce walking towards her, so she gave him a finger wave.  He had been the first to stop the excessive checking up on her; he had been content just to check in on her when he needed to talk to Jane, so he wasn’t as far down her shit list as Clint and Steve were.

_“Thanks, Darce.  It’s my first Friday in the city and I need to reconnect with my best friend, so are you free?”_

“For you, babe, I am always free.  Where do you want to meet?”

_“I want to go dancing.”_

“Okay.  Let me check around and see where the best place to go is.  Can you give me a couple of hours to find out?”

_“You have to ask?  I’m hurt.  Just call me back when get you a chance.  We can meet up ‘bout nine to nine-thirty.”_

Darcy glanced at her phone.  It was almost five already, so that meant that Jane would be working for another couple of hours.  With the way she had been the last couple of days, she was sure that Jane wouldn’t mind her cutting out early enough to get ready for her night out with Will.  “I can do that.  That will give me time to convince my boss to eat some real food and not Pop Tarts,” she said.  “I can’t wait to see you!”

After hanging up, she walked back into the lab and settled back at her desk.  “Hey, Jane.”  She paused for a moment, hoping the astrophysicist was not in too deep of a science coma to hear her, but after a moment of no response, she smirked before going into her whiniest impersonation of a child.  “Jane,” she said in a singsong voice.  “Janie.  Jane?  Jane?  Jane?”

“What?!” Jane finally responded with a huff.

“Can I leave early?”

“What?”  Jane looked up at her.

“You know.  The thing I do when I go home before you.  It doesn’t happen very often, but Will’s in town and he wants to go out dancing.”

“Who’s Will?” Jane asked after a moment, clearly trying to put a face with a name.

“You are scatterbrained sometimes, Janie.  Will.  My best friend from high school.  You know, my requisite gay best friend?”

“Oh!  Wait, I thought he was in L.A.”

“He was, but he just moved here.  Got himself a part in a play on Broadway,” Darcy smiled widely.  “So, please can I leave so I can go pretty myself up to go dancing?”  She batted her eyelashes while steepling her hands in mock prayer.

Jane just rolled her eyes.  “Dramatic much?”

“Please?” Darcy responded, dragging out the word.

“You are going to unbearable if I don’t say yes, so yes.  Go.  Get dressed up and enjoy a night to yourself.  I’ll head off Thor from trying to go after you for protection since I’ve seen your clubbing clothes.”

Darcy jumped up.  “Thanks, Jane!  You are the best!” she called out as she hastily made her way from the lab, knowing that she needed as much time as possible for making sure she didn’t put Will to shame.  As she rode up the elevator to her floor, she thought about where to go.  “Jarvis, can you tell me where the best clubs are to go dancing?”

“Certainly.  What type of dancing are you looking for?”

“Techno or something like that.”

“I will compile a list for you.”

“Thanks, Jay.”  The elevator reached her level and she stepped off, mentally going over the clothes that she kept for just clubbing.  While her normal attire was definitely comfort oriented, she did have a girly side that she liked to indulge on rare occasions.  And while it was hard to find cute clothes that fit her curves, it was nowhere near impossible when you looked at vintage stores.  And the benefit living at the Tower, where she paid no rent, was that she now had a collection of shoes that almost made her weep with joy.  Finally, she decided just to look through the clothes after a long bath.

She ran hot water into the insanely huge tub before pour in her favorite mango scented bath oil before tying her hair up into a bun and sinking into the water.  She soaked for half an hour before running a quick hot shower to wash and condition her hair.  With spring in full bloom, she needed to do everything possible to keep her hair from frizzing with the increased humidity, so she made sure to leave the conditioner in for at least five minutes before rinsing it off and stepping out of the shower.  Her next step was to use an anti-frizz spray before taking twenty minutes to blow dry it.  Once it was dry, she looked at it and decided to straighten it as well.  That took another thirty minutes before she was happy with the result.  “And this is why I don’t do this every day.  Way too much damn work,” she muttered under her breath before padding back into her bedroom.

“Miss Lewis, I have researched the top five clubs for the type of dancing that you are seeking.  I am sending them to your Stark Pad,” Jarvis said.  “Although, if you would like my opinion, I would choose the first club on the list.  Based on reviews, as well as the general area, I believe that is the best choice for a safe night out.”

“In other words, the rest of them may be in a sketchy area where _certain_ members of this household might feel impelled to follow me?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will follow your advice and will go to,” she paused as she read the name of the club, “Paraíso.”

“Shall I call ahead to ensure that you are able to get into the club with ease?  Would you like access to the V.I.P. area?”

“No, I do not need to V.I.P.  Just getting in will be awesome.”  Darcy wrinkled her nose at the thought of partying like Tony would.

“Your reservation is under Lewis,” Jarvis replied a moment later.

Darcy just nodded as she walked into the closet and to the section of clothes that didn’t get used very often.  Critically eyeing the clothes, she pulled out a couple of different pairs of pants and a few tops.  After trying everything on, she decided on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans with a deep purple abstract mock neck hi-lo top that revealed her toned arms and shoulders (thank you, Natasha), but there was no chance that the girls could pop out of her shirt.  That decision out of the day, she walked back into the closet to look over her shoes, her eyes immediately going to a pair of T-strap snakeskin platform sandals with gold accents.  She remembered that she had worn them prior to her internship in New Mexico and if she remembered correctly they were comfortable as well.  She still had an hour or so to kill, she decided to eat dinner before doing her makeup and getting dressed.

Once eight-thirty rolled around, Darcy was ready.  She looked at herself critically before smiling.  “So, Jarvis.  What do you think?  Am I hot or not?”

“Sizzling, Miss Lewis.  I believe you have fried my circuits.”

Darcy laughed.  “Flatterer,” she said as she grabbed her money, license, lipstick and phone to stick in her pockets.  She knew from previous trips with Will that taking a purse, even a small one, was too much to keep up with.  “Okay.  I’m leaving now, so please don’t let the team freak out when they can’t find me.  And if you can keep Tony, Clint and Steve from following me, you would be a miracle worker.”

“I will do my best, Miss Lewis, however Sir has a mind of his own.  It might be prudent to wear a tracking bracelet that Sir made you.”  After the kidnapping, Tony had retreated to his workshop and created a multitude of trackers for her.  He had put them in all types of jewelry, along with her phone and new iPod, so she had something to wear with each outfit.  She hadn’t said anything at the time since she knew that he was just working through his feelings the only way he knew how. 

“I know he has a mind of his own, J.  And I will wear the bracelet, since it goes well with this outfit,” she responded as she grabbed the gold olive leaf cuff that Tony had hidden a tracker in.  She glanced in the mirror one more time and smiled.  “Perfect.  Now, I’m ready to go.  I’ll see you in a couple of hours, Jarvis.”

“Have a pleasant evening, Miss Lewis.”

Darcy just gave a small wave as she walked out of her room.  She wasn’t lucky enough to avoid anyone on her way out, as she found the whole team in the living room on her floor, playing Mario Kart.  She tried to sneak past them, but with a team of superheroes and spies that was impossible.  A low whistle and a quietly muttered, “Holy shit” from Clint brought her to a halt to turn and raise an eyebrow.  She found the entire team looking at her with various expressions of shock on their faces.  Well, except for Natasha and Coulson.  They were as stoic as ever.  “Take a picture.  It’ll last longer,” she said drily.

Tony seemed to find his voice first.  “And where do you think you are going dressed like that, missy?”

“Okay, ew.  Please do not try to sound like my father.  It’s just creepy.  And I’m going out dancing.”

Tony winced when she said father, but the mention of dancing had him smirking.  “Cool.  Clubbing, cuz those aren’t dancing clothes, those are clubbing clothes.  I’m in.  Who else wants to go?”

“Oh, hell no,” she said quickly.  “I’m am going out and I do not need an entourage of Avengers following me around.”

“But that is like my scene!” Tony retorted.

“Not anymore.  Pepper would kill you.  Besides, I need some me time.  I love you guys, but you get on my nerves.”

Clint is the one that winced this time.  “Look, Darce.  I’m sorry about this afternoon.  I promise that I’ll back off.”

Darcy laughed.  “Do you really think this is about this afternoon?  Nope.  I have a friend in town that I would like to see.”

“Oh.  A naked friend?” Tony asked as Natasha swatted him upside the head.  “Ow!  What was that for?”

“Leave her alone, Stark,” Natasha said. 

“Thanks, Tasha.  Tony, it’s none of your business.  Now, I really have to go to I’m going to be late.”  She took one last look at them before smirking and heading to the elevator.

#

Phil watched as Darcy left, his mind whirling at the sight of Darcy dressed up.  She looked so different than she normally did, and the difference was staggering.  _She is so beautiful,_ he thought, but his mind also thought about what Tony had said.  Was she going to meet up with a man?  Even the thought had a flare of jealousy running through him, but he knew that he was not her type.  She was smart, young and gorgeous.  She deserved to be with someone who was worthy of her.  He was not.  Still, even with those thoughts, he felt a burning desire to follow her, to ensure her safety.  It was only when Tony began saying the same thing that he realized how far into madness he was descending.  He brought is focus back to the conversation.  “Stark, no.  She is correct.  She deserves some time away.  Her S.H.I.E.L.D. protective duty will tail her and ensure her safety.”  He turned to look at the rest of the team, unsurprised to find both Natasha and Clint missing.  “All of you will leave her be.  Promise me this.”

Bruce and Steve both nodded their heads emphatically as they agreed.  Tony and Thor looked as if they were going to argue, but after a glance at his stoic face, they finally agreed as well.  “Thank you,” he told them before turning and leaving to go to his quarters.  It only took a few moments to get there and once he did he sighed.  “Jarvis.  Privacy mode, please.”

“Privacy mode engaged, Agent Coulson.  All monitoring devices disabled until you reengage them.”

“Thank you,” he replied as he pulled out his phone.  He knew better than to contact Clint, the man was as stubborn as they came and he thought of Darcy as a sister.  Instead he shot a text message to Natasha.  _I trust you are going along to keep Barton in line._

His phone buzzed a few moments later.  _Of course.  She is headed to the meatpacking district.  Will send a photo of her friend ASAP for a background check._

He felt some of the tension drain from his body at her response.  She would keep Clint from doing something too stupid, but would also supply him a picture of whomever she was meeting.  That in mind, he quickly booted up his laptop and logged into the S.H.I.E.L.D. servers.  He would perform the background check himself.  He paced nervously as he waited for the message to come through, calling himself all sorts of stupid for letting the thought of Darcy out on a date affect him.  Yet, he couldn’t find it in himself to force the feelings down.  The kidnapping had shaken him to the core.  All of the feelings that he thought he had packed away and come rushing out as soon as Jane Foster had told him that Darcy was missing. 

He had tried over the previous three months ignore his feelings and thought he had been successful, until the thought of her going out with another man proved him wrong.  He sighed again, suppressing the urge to run his hands through his hair.  Just to give himself something to do.  So, he paced.  Waiting for the moment that his phone signaled a new text.  Natasha didn’t disappoint him.  Within ten minutes of her text, his phone buzzed.  The photo that came up was slightly grainy, but clear enough to see the man’s face, so he quickly downloaded it to his laptop to run the facial recognition software.  It took a few minutes to run, but the results were quickly forthcoming.  _William Gardner.  Recently moved from Los Angeles to pursue a career on Broadway,_ he read before skipping to more of the background information.  It seemed that Mr. Gardner had been in school with Darcy prior to his move to California and had no record whatsoever.  It eased his mind a bit, knowing that it was not likely that he was an enemy of the Avengers who was looking up an old school friend to gather more information.  However, that brought other thoughts to his head and he pursued the pictures that had also come up.  From the poses of both him and Darcy, it seemed that they had been in a relationship throughout high school. 

Jealousy and insecurity warred within him.  On the surface, the man seemed like a good fit for Darcy.  He was almost a good looking as Steve, with his linebacker build and blond hair.  They shared a history together that made her more disposed to trust him after the kidnapping.  His gut was still screaming that the man wasn’t good enough for her.  Taking a breath, he tried to separate his own feelings from the assessment, but for the first time, he found he couldn’t.  Shaking his head, he finally sent the information to Natasha.  She could do the risk assessment.  With that decision made, he quickly changed into some workout clothes to make his way to the gym.  He would work through his confusion in the gym.

#

Darcy could feel the eyes on her as she walked up to the club.  It wasn’t a bad feeling; she just knew that the protective detail was there, keeping an eye on her.  She looked around, searching for Will and finally spotted him, looking down at his phone on the sidewalk.  He hadn’t seen her yet, so she took a moment to study him.  The last time she had seen him in person was the summer before she went off to college the second time.  He had come to support her at her father’s funeral.  He had filled out some, obviously from working out, and he had an even tan complexion now.  He was dressed as simply as possible with a pair of dark jeans with a blue and gray checkered button down (unbuttoned of course) and a simple gray shirt underneath.  It was amazing how much confidence that he was exuding.  He was getting second looks from both men and women.  “Hey good lookin’,” she said as she finally reached him. 

He looked up, his green eyes dancing in merriment.  “Well hello, gorgeous,” he said as his lips twitched in suppressed laughter before finally pulling her into a tight hug.  “I’ve missed you.”

Darcy relaxed as a feeling of safety came over her.  “God, I’ve missed you, too,” she said softly into his chest. 

Will looked down at her, the earlier amusement gone, concern taking its place.  “You okay, Darce?”

“It’s been a long couple of months,” she temporized.  “But that’s why I need this night out.  So, am I playing your beard this evening?”

Will laughed.  “Yeah.  I actually am dating, but Jason is still in Cali.  He is transferring here from the L.A. office of his job, but it’ll be another month before he can officially move.”

“So.  Tell me everything.  How’d you guys meet?” Darcy asked as she withdrew from the hug and began to lead him to the velvet ropes.

Will laughed.  “If you can believe it, he hit my car on the 405.  Minor fender bender in rush hour traffic, but I was on my way to an audition, so I was not amused.”

Darcy shook her head.  “Only you.  I swear.  I can’t meet a good guy to save my life and you literally had one crash into your life.  That’s just sad.”  She shot him a wink as they arrived at the rope.  The doorman/bouncer looked at her appreciatively.  “I’m on the list,” she said simply.  “It’s under Lewis.”

The well-muscled man flipped through a page on the clipboard before smiling and unhooking the rope.  “Have a nice evening,” he said before hooking the rope behind them.

Will shot her a look.  “How the hell did you get on a list, Darce?”

She smirked.  “Eh.  I know people,” she said before the thumping beats of the dance music swelled up.  She grabbed his hand pulled him to the bar.  “First things first.  Shots!”

The following five hours allowed Darcy to completely unwind for the first time since she had gotten back.  Will was good company, but the main pull was the dancing, losing herself in the music.  She had been cautious throughout the night, after the shots of tequila, she had stuck to beer and never let the bottle out of her hands.  But, all good things must end and after a long day in the labs around two a.m. her energy began to flag.  So after getting a bottle of water, she leaned over to Will so he could hear her.  “Breakfast?”

He nodded, draining the last of his own beer so they could make their way out.  Darcy fished her phone out of her back pocket and sent a text to Jarvis to see if he could tell her where a great diner was.  He didn’t disappoint and within seconds, he had sent her an address.  Once they got outside, the chill of the early morning cooling the sweat on their skin, they paused a moment.  “So, where are we going?”

She looked down at her phone again.  “Little place a couple of blocks from here.  A friend recommended it.  Classic diner food.  You know that’s the best thing after a night of dancing.  Plus, my dinner has worn off.  I’m starving.”

Will laughed.  “Pancakes and bacon it is.  Lead the way, my lady,” he said with a bow.

Darcy giggled as she looped her left arm through his right.  “So, tell me more about Jason.  What does he do?”

“Believe it or not, he has a real job.  He’s an accountant for one of the big four.”

“Wow.  You’re got a responsible boyfriend.  What’s up with that?”

“He gets me.  It’s really weird since we are so different.  But, it works.”

“So, you guys going to move in together when he gets here?  I mean, it must be serious if he is moving all the way across the country for you.”

“We’ve been together for a year,” Will admitted.

Darcy stopped.  “You mean, you’ve been seriously dating a guy for a year and you never told me about him?”

Will rubbed the back of his neck.  “Sorry?  I just didn’t want to jinx it.  He is so far out of my league that it’s not funny.”

Darcy turned to look at him, shocked to see that he actually thought he wasn’t good enough for his boyfriend.  _What happened?  Will was never not confident about himself._   She sighed.  “Okay.  I sense that this is a story that must be accompanied by lots of coffee.  Let’s go,” she said before practically pulling him down the street towards the diner. 

Once they were settled into a booth, full cups of coffee in front of them, she looked him dead in the eye.  “Okay.  Why don’t you think you are good enough for him?”

Will sighed.  “His family comes from old money.  Both you and I know that I don’t.  I wasn’t raised with a silver spoon.”

“So?  He obviously doesn’t care or he wouldn’t be with you.  So has someone in his family said something to you?”

“I haven’t met his family yet.  He’s not out.”

“Oh.” Darcy said.  “Look.  It sucks, but Will, just because they have money they are not better than you.  Trust me.  I’ve met people with money and not all of them are bad.  Sounds like you’re just nervous because he’s not out to his family and I know you remember how hard that was.”

“Yeah.”  Will shrugged and then tried to redirect the conversation.  “What what’s up with you?  I noticed that you were hyper aware of your drinks tonight.  What happened?”

It was Darcy’s turn to shrug.  “Had a bad experience with a guy.  He’s completely out of the picture and I will never see him again, but it taught me to be careful.”

“He the reason you’re not seeing anyone, ‘cuz the girl I know always had a date on Friday night.”

“Nope.  Just been uber busy with my job.  Not easy to have a social life when you’re working all the time,” she said trying to keep from revealing anything of what her life was actually like. 

“So, is there anyone that you want to see?” he persisted, knowing that she wasn’t telling him everything.

Darcy winced, her thoughts immediately going to Coulson.

“So, there is someone.  Maybe someone from your super-secret job that you won’t talk about?”

“Hey for good reason.  I had to sign an NDA for this job, but I love it.  It keeps me on my toes.”

“Uh-huh.  I see you nicely ignored my question, so that is an answer.  Who is the guy who caught your eye at work?”

Darcy felt her cheeks heat up and was thankful when the waitress interrupted them with their food.  She delved into her pancakes with a relish, hoping that her avoidance of the subject would be less noticeable. 

They ate in silence.  She wasn’t sure if she was grateful for that or if it just gave him enough time to plan his second attack.  She found out as soon as they finished eating and left the diner.  “So, seriously, Darce.  Who is he?” Will asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

She sighed.  “He’s my boss’s boss.  Way too old for me and way out of my league.  He’s like a ninja at his job and I’m just a lowly grunt.”

“Darce, first off, have you seen yourself in the mirror?  Not all men like twigs as girlfriends.  There is a nice subset that prefers women who have curves.  You have those in plenty.”

“But I have no brain to mouth filter and he never says the wrong thing.  Seriously, nothing fazes him.  And he’s like twenty years older than me.  It would never work.”

Will stopped, shocked to hear the defeated tone in her voice.  He turned to look in her eyes.  “Darcy Lewis.  You are out of no one’s league.  You are an extremely attractive woman.  While you do not have a brain to mouth filter, you are always truthful and anyone knows exactly where they stand with you.  You never gave yourself enough credit in high school and you certainly have not changed that.  It’s time that you love yourself for who you are.  Embrace yourself,” he told her sternly, looking directly into her eyes.

Darcy felt tears well up in her eyes.  “God, I’ve missed you, Will.  Let’s never go without talking for months again,” she said before throwing her arms around him and hugging tight.

“Hey.  Not completely my fault here.”

“I know.”  That came out muffled.  Darcy finally sighed and pulled herself away.

“You better now?”

She nodded.  “Little bit.  Thanks.”

“Good.  Let’s get to the subway.  Although, I would feel much better if you just took a cab.”

Darcy laughed.  “Dude, I’ve been navigating the subway for months.  I’ll be fine.”  _Especially when I know that I still have a shadow._   “Where are you living at?”

“Williamsburg.  You?”

“Manhattan,” she responded before holding up her hand.  “Before you say anything, my job puts me up there.  I would so live in Brooklyn otherwise.  Anyway you are farther away than me, how ‘bout you catch the cab.”

“Eh.  I’ll brave the subway.  Wanna put some more miles on my brand spankin’ new metro card.”

Darcy laughed.  “Then off to the subway it is.  And no more depressing talk.  Tell me about the new show you are doing.”

Will nodded and began to tell her about the cast and crew as they resume walking.

#

Clint and Natasha followed the couple at a discreet distance, too far away to hear anything that they were saying.  “They look very cozy,” Clint said as the man wrapped his arm around Darcy. 

Natasha just hummed under her breath.  She was the one that had followed them into the club since Clint wasn’t dressed enough to make it past the bouncer.  “His eyes never strayed from her in the club.  Never looked at another woman, even when she was in the restroom.”

“So, are you saying that he is not a threat?”

“No.  I am merely stating the facts.”  She paused for a second.  “Coulson wants me to do the risk assessment.”

“What?” Clint exclaimed, happy they were far enough away the couple that he wasn’t heard.  “He always does risk assessments.  Why does….” He trailed off, a smile breaking over his face.  “Oh.  I see.  Never thought I’d see the day that Coulson took the fall.”

Natasha nodded.  “He’s been like that since she was kidnapped.  It worries me.”

“Because he is not in the right headspace?”

“Because strong feelings lead to mistakes.”

It was Clint’s turn to hum, but then stop as the couple in front of them did the same.  He watched as Darcy threw her arms around the man, who seemed to be comforting her.  Unfortunately the light was too poor for him to try to read their lips.  “What’s going on?” he asked lowly. 

Natasha shrugged.  “Too far away to hear, but from what I’ve seen tonight I would say the risk assessment is low.  He’s been nice and polite.  He is an old boyfriend from her school days, so I believe he is on the up and up.  Without talking to him, I can’t do much more.”

“Then we need to orchestrate a meeting.”

“Not tonight.  Tonight we make sure Darcy gets home safely.”

Clint nodded as they resumed walking toward the subway, his mind already trying to figure out what his next move was.  _So, Coulson likes Darcy, but Darcy is obviously getting involved with someone from her past.  There is not a way this is going to end well.  The next month is going to be interesting._

If he only knew how prophetic those words were going to be, he never would have thought them.

**Author's Note:**

> I really didn't intend to leave this as a cliffhanger, but it's only a slight one. :p I hope everyone enjoyed!!!
> 
> Here are some links to Darcy's outfit.
> 
> Top: http://www.bodycentral.com/products/print-hi-neck-halter-hi-low-top/?F_ColorId=172&SelectionValues=49126
> 
> Shoes: http://www.gojane.com/97296.html
> 
> Cuff: http://www.tiffany.com/shopping/CategoryBrowse.aspx?cid=288189&mcat=148206#p+1-n+10000-c+288189-s+5-r+1012590357+101287458+0-t+-ni+1-x+-pu+-f+-lr+0-hr+-ri+-mi+-pp


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